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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

My little quilted chair featured on LinenQuilter Blog

My Quilted Linen Chair  is Featured on the "Linen Quilter" Blog

Quilted Linen Chair Seat (and mug rug) from one linen piece I picked up at second hand store.

I became acquainted with Cindy Needham when she was on The Quilt Show a few years ago, and have been collecting linens since.  My husband even took me to the Vermont Quilt Show (many hours away from our home) so I could see her work in person; she is an amazing quilter!  Inspiration was ablaze, her E-books were on my computer, and in April I even located her Wholecloth Linen Book (sold out everywhere) in a local NH quilt store.  If that wasn't enough, she was going to be our instructor in June on the 2012 Free Motion Quilt Challenge that I am participating in.
After two weeks of reviewing this months challenge from Cindy, and doing my practice on paper and on machine, I still did not know how I was going to use this months challenge. What should I make ?  What size?  It was then that our tea table was returned, repaired, and I  found this little chair on the side of the road, and the idea struck !
Okay, now it was time to stop touching those linens I had been admiring, and quilt my first linen for the challenge this month!   But which linen would be first? 
Each night as I doodled out my plan, I would listen to Cindy's videos on You-tube, talking about threads, and colors, as she would say "just do it"~ it was so scary putting color to that linen, the "D" word comes to mind (Disequilibrium*);  I feel so comfortable with white or natural on the linen, but color?  I thought a moment,  it is your first linen, just take the plunge and add color.  I DID it!   
And as God would have it, my very first quilted linen piece Cindy not only sees it ~ but has featured it on her blog!  http://blog.cindyneedham.com/2012/06/featuring-mary-fanslau_19.html

Through the connection of the internet my little chair can be seen in the US coast to coast, oh my, even around the world, as the feature on Cindy's blog!   WOW!  How cool is that! 

After years of eager anticipation at this newfound technique of quilting linens had been ignited by Cindy, I now have a way to take our family linen pieces out of the cedar chest, and use them in the 21st century!  Thanks so much Cindy for sharing and inspiring us on.


*Disequilibrium ~ a state your brain is in when it is learning something new and different. 
This was a word Cindy shared with us, to encourage us as we learn new things; as it gets hard, we are amidst learning, and any frustration we may be experiencing will pass.  Oh such wisdom in Truth.

Godspeed,
Mary

4 comments:

  1. Hi Mary,

    Your chair cover is simply lovely -- you did a beautiful job of matching the quilting to the original linen design. And the colors are perfect!

    I too am a fellow student of Cindy's, but just beginning in the FMQ world. Congratulations on your inclusion in her blog -- that's high praise indeed!

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  2. Thank you for your kind words! Cindy has been so generous with sharing not only information, but encouragement, photos, her books/writings. I agree with you, it certainly has been honor to have been included into her blog ~ Thank you again for your encouragement.

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  3. Mary, how very beautiful! Congratulations on your new fame!
    Blessings~ Jen

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    1. Oh Jennifer, that was so nice of you to write me. I thank you for your kind words. Not sure if you and Holly do the FMQ on your machine, I do love quilting that way. Cindy Needham is a great teacher, and I have so enjoyed learning from Leah Day. Thank you for the encouragement.
      Godspeed,
      mary

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